I thought this was kind of amusing, in a macabre kind of way. Forbes magazine just published a list of the top ten earning dead celebrities. Elvis is #1 in case you were wondering. The King of Rock & Roll raked in $40 million last year between visits to Graceland and sales of 9 million copies of his 30 #1 Hits CD (one out of those millions here!). The two deceased Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison made the list at numbers four and five.

The list is dominated by authors and musicians, which makes sense since their work can continue earning ever after they're gone. J.R.R. Tolkien made the list on the strength of the Lord of the Rings movies. Charles Shultz and Dr. Seuss also made the list with their immortal characters. Other musicians making the list include Tupac Shakur and Bob Marley. The only people from other professions were race car driver Dale Earnhardt and actress Marilyn Monroe.

If you want to see more, you can check out this link:
http://www.forbes.com/2003/10/22/cx_ld_deadcelebland.html